what a trip. london was everything i was hoping. can't swing a dead cat without hitting something historical or famous. the rain held off for two days, so we might not have had a typical london experience. unfortunately, this trip was scheduled at about the one-month mark for time away from home. that, coupled with the anti-culture shock of english speakers and starbucks, messed with peoples heads a bit. tensions were high, and "some stuff went down". unfortunately, a bitter taste was left on a couple of the days. but, everyone made it out okay, and we are all still speaking to one another. more or less. anywho, back to my trip.
we left thursday afternoon for the hour bus ride to karlsrue-baden airport. uneventful flight, which i guess is what you hope for. and my luggage arrived at the same time i did, so that was a nice change. when we left the airport in london, it was a little weird boarding the charter bus on the opposite side, but that quickly subsided.
if not for these reminders, i would probably be dead.
our hotel was by kensington gardens. pretty nice area, actually. when we got in, we hadn't had any dinner, so the first thing we did was hunt for some food. stopped into one pub and actually got carded. eventually we found some food and went to bed.
friday morning we woke up early for a bus tour of the city. led by our guide, john harrison, we got an overview of the city. i always enjoy this approach so i feel like i see the whole city and can get my bearings.
after the tour, we had free time until dinner. i decided to help out the struggling british economy and go shopping. basically i got screwed with my pants on because the exchange rate is something like two dollars to one pound. i bought a dress that i would wear later to dinner.
in the evening, we went to see "the producers". i don't know, i've never been one to really get into musicals. i sort of enjoyed myself, but probably wouldn't see it again. the theater was on drury lane. you know, where the muffin man lives. hehe.
saturday we went as a group to the tate modern museum. we were scheduled to have a guided tour, but he didn't show up. instead, we got a free admission to the fleichel and weiss exhibit. i had never heard of these artists, but i ended up really enjoying their humourous approach to art. also at the tate, an installation of slides. yes, giant four story slides. which were awesome. the artist was exploring the idea of making slides part of everyday life, somehow including them in architecture. the description of the slides was really poetic, talking about the anxious buildup, the fear of heights, the thrill of the descent. funny, he didn't mention the bumpy ride. i wish i could have gone down a few times. it was really fun.
after the tate, we had free time until dinner. my friend shruti wanted to visit a temple outside central london. saturday happened to be the second-to-last day of the hindu new year celebration. so shruti, karissa and i set off for this temple with a vague set of directions and optomistic spirit. two hours, two tube lines, a bus, and about a mile of walking, we made it to the swaminarayan temple. since it took much longer to get there than we had expected, we only spent fifteen minutes or so inside. we took off our shoes to go into the temple. filled with ornate carvings in white marble, the temple was really quite something. shruti did her thing, then we were on our way.
funny, i couldn't help but think how many thousands of people visit christian cathedrals while in europe. nearly every city seems to have a major church built over thousands of years that are visited hundreds of times daily. but then here i was, in london, at a temple that i had never heard of, taking a moment of silence as i sat among the different altars. and to think of how much effort it took to get out there, but how beautiful it was, and how few people would ever go. i'm glad shruti asked me to go with her, because it was something that i know i would have never done otherwise.
actually, it also reminded me of the 8th grade washington d.c. trip. father bauer tried so hard to expose us to the different houses of worship for world religions. this felt more personal; less academic.
walking to the temple, we walked through the soccer field where they filmed "bend it like beckham". and we also walked by ikea, which tells you how far out of the city we were (you know, because ikea likes to build out in the middle of nowhere, in a place you would normally have no reason to visit. like schaumburg.)
anywho, we made it to trafalgar square with an hour to spare before our rendezvous. got caught in a sudden rainstorm, and remembered that we were in london.
saturday evening we went to the london eye. you may remember this famous ferris wheel from the bbmak video. yes, i just referenced bbmak in my blog. anywho, i did not enjoy the london eye. funny, i didn't quite realize i was afraid of heights until i was held captive for thirty minutes in a glass orb as it flew 434 feet above london. i spent pretty much the entire trip sitting indian-style on the bench they have in the middle. clutching the wooden bench with a death grip that should not have been possible, considering how much my hands were sweating. i think i might have had a bit of a panic attack. depending on where you look, the eye moves so slow that you don't necessarily know you are moving. so i would look toward the center, see us going higher, and freak out. but i couldn't look the other way, because it didn't feel like we were moving at all, then i panicked because i thought we might get stuck. then i started having a bit of vertigo. ugh. exiting that thing was the highlight of my day.
after the eye, a group decided to go out to a club. not being one for clubbin', some others decided to go pubbin'. we walked around for a long time, but ultimately ended up in the exact same pub by our hotel that we had been to on thursday. we are creatures of habit.
the pub was fun. i don't know. somehow we got on the topic of religion, which is always the best thing to discuss after a couple pints. kinda wish we had stayed away from that particular discussion, but whatever. i went to bed earlier than the rest of the group (like 2ish) because i also had to finish a bit of online homework. ugh, i am sick of that class. apparently the rest of the group stayed out, but then ended up at the bar in the lobby of the hotel, drinking with some old welsh guy. i guess at the end of the night, he got up to leave, but tripped by the bathroom or something. they had to call an ambulance. glad i went to bed.
sunday morning i woke up surprisingly early with the goal of attending mass. i like to see how catholic mass is different in various parts of the world. and since i knew it was going to be one of the only times i would have the opportunity to go to mass in english, i was even more interested. i ended up walking to the brompton oratory, which i guess is famous. or so says the random old guy who was in the lobby and gave me directions. mass was interesting. first of all, the pews were torturous, but i figured if the old ladies could manage sitting through mass, than so could i. they did not sing, but organ music was played. of course all the words were the same, but the priest spoke very measured and deliberately. it's like american priests are trying to get through the standard stuff as quickly as possible so they have more time for their homily. this priest took his time. and he had a british accent. i found myself saying the repsonses in a british accent as well. i guess it felt more natural to fit in. for communion, they still used the rail at front where you kneel. that was my first experience with such a method. very intersting. i'm glad i went.
after mass, not a whole lot of people were around. i decided i wanted to explore the city on my own. there were several things i wanted to see, and didn't want to mess with a lot of different people. i'm thankful that i have such a natural sense of direction, or else i wouldn't have been able to explore the way i wanted to.
first, i headed to buckingham palace. i got about halfway there before i realized i had to meet the group at the british museum across town. so i changed my plan and headed towards the museum. i got a little lost on the way, but eventually made it. by this time, it was raining pretty steadily. my map lost most of its physical properties, but i made it to the museum. inside this museum we saw many grecian artifacts, as well as the rosetta stone. and some mummies, which were pretty sweet. gross, but sweet.
after the museum, i headed to a nearby restaurant for fish and chips. you know, when in rome. they were pretty good, but left a lot to be desired. oh well, still crossed it off the list.
next, my big excitement. i hopped on the tube in search of abbey road. when i took a wrong turn walking out of the underground station, a nice man pointed me in the right direction. some kid had set up a table and was charging one pound to take a picture as you walked across the street. of course i did it.
i don't want to claim to be someone who knows tons about the beatles, or is a diehard fan. i thought it would be cool to do when in london. plus, i am not really that interested in attractions such as the changing of the guard.
after abbey road, i headed back to buckingham palace. had tea with the queen, then stuck around to take some pictures.
kidding. i didn't really take any pictures.
in keeping with my tradition of being incredibly easy to please, i had so much fun riding around on the tube. living in a big city, i've developed quite an appreciation for public transportation. the london tube system is amazing. fast, clean, easy to navigate, clear and relevant communications regarding interruptions in service, not to mention the amusing way they remind you to "mind the gap" when entering and exiting the train. busking in the stations is an art form. if i remember correctly, performers actually have to audition before given a permit to play in an underground station. the talent certainly surpasses anything played at the washington stop on the red line.
sunday evening we went back to the same pub... again. honestly, can we not expand our horizons even a little bit? still, it was fun.
monday morning we woke up early to go to st paul's cathedral. we climbed the stairs to the insided of the dome. i forget the technical term. i think the london eye really messed with my head, because i was all afraid again. that doesn't normally happen. thankfully i won't be living in presidential towers when i return to chicago, because i'm afraid i wouldn't be able to handle it.
we heard announcements on the underground all sunday saying that westminster station was closed for filming. fine, it didn't interfere with anywhere we wanted to go. then monday morning, as i read the paper on the way to st paul's cathedral, a short article caught my attention. apparently, they had been filming for the fifth harry potter on sunday at this station. "harry must navigate commuters", or something like that. to sum up, i almost met harry potter when in london. jen, i though of you.
anywho, after the cathedral we packed up our bags, checked out of the hotel, and flew back to france. overall, a great trip. i really enjoyed london. the business, the people, the attitude, even the rain. i wouldn't mind getting a job here after school is over. i can see myself living in london.
that's about it i guess. i'm pretty tired, and have class at 9 tomorrow. tonight was another barbeque. which means delicious food and a full belly. mmmm.
goodnight.
-katie
p.s. today is the one month anniversary of me being in europe. really, only one month? somehow it seems like much longer and no time at all at the same time. less than two to go.
